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Cumbria: The Land and Language
Bidoli Kellett, Jane
1982
Abstract
All scholars of English as a foreign 1anguage must be we11 aware
of the great diversity between the written and spoken word. Years of
carefu1 study and perseverance should undoubtedly 1ead to an
exce1lent command of vocabulary and grammar, but when the scholar
turns traveller and visits various parts of the United Kingdom, he is
often utterly bewildered by what he hears if the native speakers he
encounters do not speak what is generally accepted in the text books
as Standard English. The fact is, that the phonetic systems so
carefully illustrated in the language books, do not reflect the
English spoken by the majority which comprises a whole range of local
accents and dialects stretching from the southern coasts and plains
to the northern Highlands and far isles. This shows that the students are
not concerned or even aware of the existence of the many varieties of
spoken English. This is obvious enough as the majority of Italians
who required a knowledge of English for their work use the written
language and are not concerned with the spoken word unless they
travel far and wide.
It is in this short paper that I have chosen to discuss Cumbria,
little known beyond the British Isles, in the hope of generating some
interest and the wish to visit the area and learn a little about its
culture and heritage.
Publisher
EUT Edizioni Università di Trieste
Source
Jane Kellett Bidoli, "Cumbria: The Land and Language" in: Miscellanea di studi in occasione del ventennale della scuola 1962 -1982, EUT Edizioni Università di Trieste, Trieste, pp. 101-106.
Languages
en
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